Method and apparatus for fashioning circular knit fabric



y 9, 967 M. NEBEL 3,318,113

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FASHIONING CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC Original Filed April 22, 1964 '7 Sheais-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR.

BY @Ja 621 y 9, 1967 M. NEBEL 3,318,113

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FASHIONING CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC Original Filed April 22, 1964 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR A TTOJWVEYJ.

M. NEBEL May 9, 1967 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FASHIONING CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed April 22, 1964 FIG; 4

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INVENTOR lVaz' J/ebel,

GQJMGZJ May 9, 1967 M. NEBEL. 3,318,113

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FASHIONTNG CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC Original Filed April 22, 1964 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

y 9, 67 M. NEBEL 3,318,113

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FASHIONING CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC Original Filed April 22, 1964 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 I NVENTOR.

M. NEBEL 3,318,113

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FASHIONING CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC May 9, 1967 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed April 22, 1964 I INVENTOR.

y 9, 1967 M. NEBEL 3,318,113

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FASHIONING CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC Original Filed April 22, 1964 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 rromveys.

United States Patent 3,318,113 METHUD AND APPARATUS FDR FASHIONING CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC Max Nehel, Wiesbaden, Germany, assignor to Hanes Corporation, a corporation of North Carolina Continuation of application Ser. No. 361,801, Apr. 22,

1964. This application July 12, 1965, et. No. 4%,220

9 Claims. (Cl. 661tl8) This application is a continuation of my application Ser. No. 361,801, filed Apr. 22, 1964, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of my U.S. Patent No. 3,131,556, issued May 5, 1964, formerly application Ser. No. 86,737, filed Feb. 2, 1961, for Run-Resistant Knitted Fabric.

This invention relates to methods and means for fashioning, i.e., shaping, circular knit fabric, as in circular knit hosiery, and more particularly relates to the shaping of tubular knit fabric by progressively reducing the diameter thereof by shortening the length of the knitted stitches through manipulation of the sinkers.

In my Patent No. 3,131,556 aforesaid, there is dis closed a circular knit stocking made of run-resistant fabric and having a decreasing diameter from the welt to the foot. The fabric of that stocking is formed with alternating courses containing plain loops of a length at least four times the length of the plain loops in the intervening courses, with such ratio increasing, rather than decreasing, in the portions of the tubular fabric of greater diameter.

The primary object of this invention is to provide methods and means whereby, in such tubular knit fabric, it is possible to fashion the fabric by means of sinkers while decreasing the ratio of the length of the long yarn loops of the alternate courses to the length of the short yarn loops of the intervening courses as the diameter of the fabric progressively decreases.

A further object of this invention is to provide means to regulate selectively the knocking over action of the sinkers in a circular knitting machine to permit the formation of knitted loops of variable size in the fabric.

A further object of this invention is to selectively vary the size of the stitches in tubular knit fabric during knitting through controlled movement of the sinkers simultaneously with the conventional variation of stitch size achieved by movement of the needle cylinder relative to the knitting cams.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily aparent from the following description thereof in conjunction with the attached drawings, whereof:

FIG. 1 shows a circular knitted ladys stocking which has been knit in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic view of the loop structure of a preferred run-resistant fabric incorporated in the stocking of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in top plan of the sinkers and sinker cams of a circular knitting machine for knitting the fabric of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the angled arrows IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, on a reduced scale, showing means for controlling the sinker cams;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the normal relationship of the sinkers to the needles during yarn draw;

FIGS. 7-9 show a modification of this invention;

FIG. 10 is a cross section taken in the direction of the angled arrow XX in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing the forination of needle loops behind the sinker nibs;

, are staggered one wale during ice FIGS. 12-13 show a second modification of this invention;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the angled arrows XIVXIV in FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the angled arrows XV-XV in FIG. 12; and

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the angled arrows XVI-XVI in FIG. 12.

In order to vary the shape of circular knit fabric, it is known in the art to decrease progressively the length of the knitted stitches, thereby decreasing the diameter of the fabric. Such shaping or fashioning of tubular knit fabric is accomplished by moving the needle cylinder axially relative to the knitting cams.

This invention comprises an improvement for the fashioning of circular knit fabrics by selectively controlling the movement of the sinkers during their knocking over action, i.e., during their enetration into the circle of needles to aid in the casting olf of loops from the needles. By the methods and means hereinafter described, it is possible to fashion tubular knit fabric, by controlling the movements of the sinkers during knocking over, so that they may penetrate the needle circle at an earlier or later stage as desired during each revolution, and penetrate to a selectively variable extent, as may be required or desired, to control the length. of the knitted stitches being formed.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a ladys stocking knit in accordance with this invention comprising a toe 1, a foot 2, a heel 3 with a high spliced portion 4, a leg portion 5, an afterwelt 6 and a welt 7. The stocking has been fashioned, in accordance with this invention, from the larger diameter portion 5a to the smaller diameter portion 511, by progressively decreasing the size of the yarn loops formed by the needles and sinkers of the knitting machine during the knitting process.

In FIG. 2, there is disclosed a preferred type of runresistant fabric from which the foot 2 and leg portion 5 of the stocking of FIG. 1 is made. The fabric of FIG. 2 consists of courses a of short loops which alternate with courses b of long loops. In forming a course a, at first only the alternate small loops B are formed; the intermediate lengths of thread not then being formed into loops. These intermediate thread lengths of course a are formed into loops, to form part of double loops D, when the next successive course b is formed, that is, they take part in the forming of the alternate double thread loops D which lie between the large loops A of course b. By knitting the intermediate thread portions of the course a in the next following course I), the short loops B are robbed of yarn, thus forming very small locking loops below each long loop A. Loops A extend over two courses and have at least four times the amount of yarn per loop than is present in the locking loops B, excluding the transversing thread connections P and S.

The loops of the alternate courses a and b in the fabric knitting. The large loop A is formed because, when the course a of short loops is formed, no loop B is pulled through a loop A.

It thus will be seen that courses 1) contain a longer length of yarn per course than do courses a. Courses b contain elongated stitches A in alternate wales and the preceding courses a contain short locking stitches in the same alternate wales. The threads of the courses a and b form the double loops D in the intervening wales.

As indicated above, the yarn length of the loops A is at least four times that of the loops B and, according to this invention, this ratio increases, rather than decreases, in proceeding from portion 5!) of the stocking upward to the portion 5a thereof. In other words, contrary to usual practice in fashioning circular knit fabric, the ratio length of yarn per course in the long yarn courses to the short yarn courses decreases, in accordance with this invention, as the stocking means for accomplishing this result is shown in FIGS. 3 6.

In FIG. 3 there are shown needles N, sinkers 9 and the usual endless coil spring F for urging the sinkers toward the needle circle. The usual knockover cam 11), in accordance with this invent-ion, is pivoted to the sinker cap 111 by pivot 12. The knockover cam 10 is urged away from the needles N, about pivot 12, by means of a leaf spring 14 afiixed to the outside periphery of the sinker cap 11 by means of bolts 15, spring 14 acting against a vertical stud 1 6 in the knockover cam.

A counter-cam 18 is spaced from the knockover cam 10, and is formed with an over-reaching arm 19 (FIG. 4) which is secured to the knockover cam 10 by means of a bolt 20. The spacing 22 between earns 10 and 18 provides a raceway for the butts 9 of the sinkers, and is of a width to eliminate any substantial variation in the radial position of the sinkers as their butts pass therethrough. Counter-cam .18 limits the extent to which the sinkers penetrate into the needle circle during knocking over, thus ensuring the formation of stitches of uniform size in the fabric. The conventional sinker cam 23 is recessed (FIG. 4) sufficiently to permit countercam 18 to be retracted over it when the knockover cam 19 is retracted.

Counter-cam 18 preferably is formed to permit at least three sinkers to remain in their innermost position during knockover, and also is formed with a protuberance 18 to retract the sinkers from the needle circle. Retracting the sinkers by means of protuberance 18 avoids their retraction by the fabric loops, which normally occurs when the needles N rise from their cast off position, thus better ensuring the formation of loops of uniform size.

Knockover cam 10 is advanced toward the needle circle, against the force of spring 14, by means of a vertical lever 24 disposed adjacent the outer rim of the cam. Lever 2 4 is pivoted in the manner of a bell crank at pivot 25 aflixed, by means of bolts .27, to the usual cylinder raising tube 28. The lower end 24' of lever 24 is enlarged to provide a cam follower for reading or acting against the surface of a cam 29 mounted on fixed bracket 30 disposed externally of the cylinder raising tube 28. A spring 32 is connected between the lower arm of lever 24 and cylinder raising tube 28, to maintain the lower end or cam reading means 24' of the lever continuously in contact with cam 29.

Cylinder raising tube 28 is raised and lowered by conventional mechanism (not shown) to raise and lower the needle cylinder 33 to lengthen or shorten the loops of the fabric during knitting. When cylinder raising tube 28 is raised to permit the needles N to draw longer stitches, lever end 24 is also raised, along the inclined surface of cam 29, thus causing the upper end of lever 24 to swing inward to advance knockover cam 1t toward the needles, thereby permitting the sinkers to penetrate deeper into the needle circle. The action causes the drawing of an increased amount of thread by the needles, thus forming larger stitches in the fabric. As the cylinder raising tube 28 is lowered, end 24' of the lever 24 simultaneously is lowered along the inclined surface of cam 29. As a result, the upper end of lever 24 moves away from the needle circle, permitting the retraction of knockover cam 10 due to the influence of leaf spring 14. Consequently, the sinkers 9 penetrate a lesser distance into the needle circle, thus reducing the size of the stitches drawn by the needles.

The leverage ratio of the arms of lever 24, and the angle of slope of cam 29, preferably are so arranged as .to harmonize the action of the sinkers with that of the needles. That is to say, the extent of penetration of the sinkers into the needle circle is proportionate to the amount of yarn draw of the needles permitted by the position of the cylinder raising tube. FIG. 6 and the broken line illustration of sinker 9 in FIG. 4 show the most advanced position of the sinkers during knocking over when the size of the stitches is determined solely by the position of the cylinder raising tube 28. The solid line showing of sinker 9 in FIG. 4 shows the innermost position of the sinkers when the size of the loops is determined by advancing knockover cam 10 in the manner described, as well as by the position of the cylinder raising tube 28.

At the yarn feed of a m-ulti-feed knitting machine where short courses a (FIG. 2) are formed, the sinkers, during knocking over, will advance to the normal position shown in FIG. 6. At the yarn feed where the yarn forming long courses b is fed, the sinkers will be advanced further during knocking over, as illustrated in the solid line position shown in FIG. 4. However, by selectively controlling the extent to which knockover cam 10 is advanced toward the needle circle, by the arm ratio of lever 24, by the shape of cam 29, or both, it is possible to vary the length of yarn per course in the courses b in relation to the courses a so that, as the stocking is knit and progressively fashioned, the amount of yarn in the long loops A in comparison to the amount of yarn in the short loops B changes at a decreasing ratio. In other words, as the stocking is fashioned, by progressively lowering the needle cylinder, knockover cam '10 may be progressively retracted to gradually reduce the extent to which the sinkers are advanced into the needle circle. As a result, the size of loops A is controlled independently of the lowering of the needle cylinder, thus permitting selective control of the ratio of the amount of yarn in large loops A to that in small loops B during fashioning. In this manner, the yarn length ratio of courses b to a may be maintained constant or may be permitted to decrease. This ratio would naturally increase in the absence of the sinker control method and apparatus of this invention.

In the modification shown in FIGS. 7l1, means are shown for advancing the sinkers 9 into the needle circle during knocking over at an earlier or later time in the knitting cycle, as may be desired. In FIG. 8 there is shown the sinker cap 11 having the usual threaded stop screws 36 and 37 to limit the extent of angular movement of the sinker cap, and its annexed cams, against fixed stop 40, due to the rotational movement of the sinkers.

Disposed between stop screw 36 and stop 40 is a wedge or tapered cam 41. As will be more fully explained, wedge or cam 41 is slidable between stop screw 36 and stop 40, toward and away from the sinker cap 11, to vary, by means of its sloping surface 42, the extent to which sinker cap 11 is permitted to be shifted in the direction of rotation R.

Since knockover cam 10' (FIG. 9) is pivoted at 12 to the sinker cap 11, its angular position, relative to the yarn feeding fingers (not shown) of the knitting machine is determined by cam 41. When cam 41 is advanced to its furthest position toward the sinker cap 11, knockover cam 10' will be displaced to the right of the position shown in FIG. 9, to advance the sinkers into the needles at a relatively early moment in the knitting cycle. When cam 41 is in its fully retracted position, knockover cam 10 will be shifted to the left, as shown in FIG. 9, thus delaying the advance of the sinkers into the needle circle during knocking over.

Cam 41 is afiixed to the upper end of a lever 43 mounted for pivotal movement at 44 on afixed portion of the machine frame 45. The lower end of lever 43 is provided with a threaded cam follower 46 adapted to bear against the surface of a cam 48 having a rise 49 formed on its periphery. Cam 48 is mounted for rotational movement upon the main timing drum 50- of the knitting machine. A spring 51, affixed to the lower end of lever 43 and to a stationary part of the machine, maintains cam follower 46 continuously in contact with the periphery of cam 4&. When cam follower 46 is on the high part of the periphery of cam 48, wedge 4.1. is

advanced toward the sinker cap 11. As a result, the knockover cam is shifted angularly in the direction of the yarn feeding means, thus permitting the sinkers to penetrate the needle circle at an earlier stage during knocking over. When cam follower 46 is on the lowest portion of the periphery of cam 48, cam 41 is retracted, whereby knockover cam 10' is disposed at its most remote position from the yarn feeding means of the machine, thereby causing the sinkers to penetrate the needle circle at a later stage during knocking over Preferably, the periphery of cam 48 gradually falls from the rise 49 so as to permit a gradual movement of the knockover cam away from the yarn feeding means of the machine in the direction of rotation, thereby progressively reducing the size of the stitches being formed during knitting.

If desired, cam 48 may be affixed to cam 53, mounted for rotational movement on drum 50, for controlling the raising and lowering of the needle cylinder through threaded cam follower 54 and lever 55. In this fashion the advancement and retraction cam 41 will be coordinated with the raising and lowering of the needle cylinder.

The sinker cams of FIG. 9 of this embodiment correspond completely to the cams of FIG. 3, except that the knockover cam 10' is formed, along its back rim, with a protuberance or auxiliary cam means ltla which is adapted to bear at all times against a fixed vertical lever 58. By reason of lever 58 acting on or reading protuberance 10a, knockover cam 10 is forced toward the needle circle, about pivot 12, when cam 41 is disposed to permit earlier penetration of the sinkers in the needle circle. When cam 41 acts to permit displacement of the knockover cam 10' to the left, as shown in FIG. 9, for later penertation of the sinkers into the needle circle during knocking over, protuberance 10a shifts away from lever or cam reading means 58, thus permitting spring 14 to retract knockover 10" outwardly about pivot 12. In this fashion, the sinkers penetrate deeper into the needle circle when the time of penetration is advanced.

FIG. 10 shows the relative positions of the sinkers 9 and needles N, during knocking over in this embodiment, when forming the long course b of the fabric of FIG. 2. FIG. 11 shows the formation of the short courses a of the fabric by drawing the short loops B behind the sinker nibs although the sinkers at the station feeding yarn for courses a may be withdrawn so that short loops B are drawn in front of the nib as shown in FIG. 6. By means of the stitch length control mechanism shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, it is possible, during fashioning of a stocking, to selectively control the ratio of the amount of yarn in the large loops A to that in the small loops B as knitting progresses and as fashioning occurs.

The embodiment of FIGS. l2-15 is directed to the knitting of the large loops A of courses 6 in FIG. 2 behind the nibs 9a of the sinkers 9. As is known, loops can be knocked over needles drawing yarn behind the sinker nibs 9a by the action of the throats of the sinkers on the loops of the preceding course of the fabric. In this embodiment, small loops B of the courses a may be formed either in front of or behind the sinker nibs, The amount of yarn 59 drawn in this embodiment is effected by loops A being drawn through small loops B (FIGS. 1416). If loops B are advanced earlier into the needle circle during knocking over, or further, or both, needles N will then draw a greater amount of yarn for loops A. In carrying out such knocking over action, the loops B must slide over the closed latches of the needles N before the sinker throats act upon those loops.

Referring now to FIG. 12, there is shown the usual fixed knockover cam 60 and a movable auxiliary knockover cam 61 mounted for pivotal movement toward and away from the needle circle about pivot 62. Auxiliary knockover cam 61 is under the control of the lever 24, described specifically in respect of the embodiments of FIGS. 3-6. A counter-cam 63 is spaced from auxiliary knockover cam 61. Cam 63 limits the extent of penetration of the sinkers 9 into the needle circle during knocking over by cam 61, and provides, with auxiliary knockover cam 61, a narrow raceway 65 for the butts of the sinkers. The slope 61 of cam 61 is formed to coincide with the drawing of yarn 59 by the needles over the sinker ledges behind the nibs 9a (FIGS. l415).

During knitting of the course b having large loops A, auxiliary knockover cam is advanced to thereby advance the sinkers 9 sufficiently into the needle circle to permit behind the nib knitting, as shown in FIGS. l4, l5 and 16. When auxiliary knockover cam 61 is retracted to the position shown in FIG. 13, so as to permit normal knitting with knockover cam 60, in front of the sinker nibs, the raceway 65 between auxiliary knockover cam 61 and counter-cam 63 is closed by means of a supplementary sinker cam 66.

As shown in FIG. 14, supplementary cam 66 is connected by means of an overreaching arm 67 to the auxiliary knockover cam 61. As a result, when cam 61 is retracted under the influence of leaf spring 14, cam 66 p is likewise retracted to close the raceway 65. Of course,

it is not essential that supplementary cam 66 he operatively connected to the auxiliary knockover cam 61. All that is necessary is that the supplementary cam 66 act to close the raceway 65 when the auxiliary knockover cam 61 is retracted. This may be accomplished by adapting the supplementary cam 66 for vertical movement, to be lowered when cam 61 goes out of action and to be raised when auxiliary knockover cam 61 goes into action.

While certain preferred embodiments of this invention have been described in detail herein, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art of knitting that various additional modifications may be made without departing from the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a circular knitting machine having a cylinder with a complement of needles, a cylinder raising tube, a plurality of sinkers and a retractable knockover cam for the sinkers, means for progressively withdrawing the knockover cam away from the needles while the needle cylinder is lowered during fashioning, comprising:

(a) resilient means urging the knockover cam away from the needles,

.(b) a lever mounted for pivotal movement on the cylinder raising tube, said lever having an end portion operatively engaged with the knockover cam,

(c) a cam mounted adjacent the cylinder raising tube,

and

(d) resilient means urging the lever about its pivot into engagement with the cam whereby, upon progressive lowering of the needle cylinder during fashioning, the lever is controlled by said cam to permit progressive retraction of the knockover cam away from the needles under the influence of the first mentioned resilient means.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 further including a supplementary sinker cam attached to but spaced apart from the knockover cam to form therebetween a raceway for the butts of the sinkers, said supplementary sinker cam being adapted to move away from the needles with the knockover cam upon lowering of the needle cylinder.

3. A method of fashioning a tubular knit fabric on a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder, sinkers and knitting cams, the fabric having a length of yarn per course in alternate courses greater than the length of yarn per course in the intervening courses, the steps comprising (a) progressively lowering the needle cylinder and sinkers in relation to the knitting cams,

(b) moving cam reading means with the needle cylinder to read a stationary cam, and

(c) in knitting the alternate courses, and in response to said reading, progressively varying the extent to which the sinkers penetrate the needle circle during knocking over of the stitches so that the ratio of the length of yarn per course in the alternate courses to that in the intervening courses is selectively controlled.

4. The method of fashioning as defined in claim 3 wherein, as the needle cylinder descends, penetration of the sinkers into the needle circle during knocking over of the stitches of the alternate courses progressively diminishes at a rate for maintaining substantially constant the ratio of the length of yarn per course in the alternate courses to that in the intervening courses.

5. The method of fashioning as defined in claim 3 wherein, as the needle cylinder descends, penetration of the sinkers into the needle circle during knocking over of the stitches of the alternate courses progressively diminishes at a rate for decreasing the ratio of the length of yarn per course in the alternate courses to that in the intervening courses.

6. A method of knitting a tubular fabric on a multifeed circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder, sinkers and a sinker knockover cam and needle cams for each feed, comprising (a) knitting spaced courses of fabric of a selected stitch size at a first yarn feeding station,

(b) knitting intervening courses of fabric with stitches having a selectively greater stitch size at a second yarn feeding station by advancing inwardly the sinker knockover cam thereat to effect greater penetration of the sinkers between the needles than at the first yarn feeding station,

() progressively lowering the needle cylinder and sinkers in relation to needle cams to fashion the fabric,

((1) moving cam reading means with the needle cylinder to read a stationary cam, and

(e) in response to said reading, progressively withdrawing the knockover cam at the second yarn feeding station to diminish the penetration of the sinkers into the needle circle whereby the ratio between the size of the stitches in the spaced courses and those in the intervening courses is selectively controlled as the needle cylinder descends.

7. In a knitting machine having a cylinder, sinkers, needles carried by said cylinder and operable for drawing loops between said sinkers, cam means for imparting a drawing movement to said needles, a knockover cam acting directly upon said sinkers to impart thereto a drawing movement in the proximity of the stitch forming point whereby said needles and sinkers coact to effect a predetermined length of stitch, and means for progressively lowering said cylinder and sinkers to effect fashioning, means for progressively varying the position of said knockover cam as said cylinder descends whereby said knockover cam coacts with said cylinder to effect fashioning comprising:

(a) a fixed abutment, (b) means biasing said knockover cam outwardly for engagement with said abutment,

(c) means operable for progressively shifting the knockover cam in the direction of cylinder rotation as the cylinder descends, and

(d) means on said knockover cam engaging said abutment and causing said knockover cam to progressively move away from the needles as said knockover cam is shifted progressively in the direction of cylinder rotation.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 further including a supplementary sinker cam attached to but spaced apart from the knockover cam to form therebetween a raceway for the butts of the sinkers, said supplementary sinker cam being adapted to move away from the needles with the knockover cam upon lowering of the needle cylinder.

9. A method of fashioning a tubular knit fabric on a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder, sinkers, knitting cams, a sinker knockover cam and auxiliary cam means carried by said knockover earn, the fabric having a length of yarn per course in alternate courses greater than the length of yarn per course in the intervening courses, the steps comprising (a) progressively lowering the needle cylinder and sinkers in relation to the knitting cams,

(b) progressively moving the sinker knockover cam in rundown direction past a stationary abutment,

(c) utilizing said abutment to read the auxiliary cam means carried by said sinker knockover cam and thereby, in knitting alternate courses, and in response to said reading, pro-gressively varying the extent to which the sinkers penetrate the needle circle during knocking over of the stitches so that the ratio of the length of yarn per course in the alternate courses to that in the intervening courses is selectively controlled.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,189,220 6/1916 Scott 66-108 X 1,448,653 3/1923 Bosworth 66107 1,483,905 2/1924 Miller 66108 2,146,750 2/1939 Lawson et a1. 66l35 3,041,860 7/1962 Crawford 66108 3,104,537 9/1963 Fregeolle 66108 3,157,037 11/1964 Nebel et a1 66178 3,172,274 3/1965 Anthony et al. 66108 3,174,306 3/1965 Lawson 66108 X 3,200,618 8/1965 Fregeolle 6654 FOREIGN PATENTS 526,280 9/ 1940 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES German application No. 1,127,531, printed April 1962 (Neuhauss).

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

W. C. REYNOLDS, Assistant Examiner. 

3. A METHOD OF FASHIONING A TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC ON A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A NEEDLE CYLINDER, SINKERS AND KNITTING CAMS, THE FABRIC HAVING A LENGTH OF YARN PER COURSE IN ALTERNATE COURSES GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF YARN PER COURSE IN THE INTERVENING COURSES, THE STEPS COMPRISING (A) PROGRESSIVELY LOWERING THE NEEDLE CYLINDER AND SINKERS IN RELATION TO THE KNITTING CAMS, (B) MOVING CAM READING MEANS WITH THE NEEDLE CYLINDER TO READ A STATIONARY CAM, AND (C) IN KNITTING THE ALTERNATE COURSES, AND IN RESPONSE TO SAID READING, PROGRESSIVELY VARYING THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE SINKERS PENETRATE THE NEEDLE CIRCLE DURING KNOCKING OVER OF THE STITCHES SO THAT THE RATIO OF THE LENGTH OF YARN PER COURSE IN THE ALTERNATE COURSES TO THAT IN THE INTERVENING COURSES IS SELECTIVELY CONTROLLED. 